Prayers held for Mumbai terror victims

January 2009

An overwhelming sadness crept over the hall at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn as hundreds of Indian-Americans paid tribute to the innocent lives that were lost during the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November. Indian-Americans from across Atlanta gathered at the Mandir on Sunday, November 30, for a special prayer assembly for the victims.

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha recognizes that such attacks shake the very stability of a nation and its people. Prayer assemblies for the Mumbai victims have been organized at over 650 BAPS Mandirs worldwide, where followers have come together to pray for peace, strength and stability.

At the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn, the assembly began with Vedic prayers seeking global peace and was followed by bhajans, or devotional songs. Present at the assembly were Consul General of Great Britain to Atlanta Martin Rickerd, Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States Reda Mansour, and Honorary Consul General for India to the United States in Georgia Kenneth Cutshaw.

“We are here today, first and foremost, to pray for the victims,” said Consul General Rickerd. “Whoever they are and wherever they come from, their loss is incalculable to the family and friends they leave behind.”

Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of the Sanstha, also offered his prayers and condolences to the victims and their loved ones across the world. BAPS urges everyone, especially those in Mumbai, to stay calm and maintain peace, and continues to pray and offer support to those who have endured this calamitous time.

IACA meet mourns Mumbai victims

The India America Cultural Association (IACA) conducted a prayer and solidarity meeting on, December 7 in honor of the victims of the November Mumbai attacks. Several prominent Indian-Americans and members of the Jewish community participated in the meeting, which was held at the IACA hall in Smyrna. Harsha Agadi, CEO of Church’s Chicken, Ken Cutshaw, Honorary Consul for India in the United States, and Prof. P. V. Rao of Emory University spoke at the gathering. The assembly observed two minutes of silence before the meeting started and lit lamps as a mark of mourning.

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